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To The Stepmom Who Feels Like She’s Lost Herself

THIS MONTH’S FEATURED ARTICLE:
How to Find The Woman You Used to Be
By Heather Hetchler, MA
Inside the October 2021 Issue

Halloween is a time when children dress up and go door to door, collecting treats while pretending to be someone else. They may put on masks or makeup and wear costumes which reflect the characters of their choosing. Putting on a persona for just one day and pretending to be another person is intended to be fun for a child.

For a stepmom, however, becoming someone unrecognizable is a slow fade rather than a one-day occurrence—and it’s nothing to celebrate. One of the scariest things a stepmom can navigate, I’d say, is losing herself in the process of trying to build up her stepfamily. If this has been your experience, read on! What follows are five tips for finding the way back to YOU. Continue reading “To The Stepmom Who Feels Like She’s Lost Herself”

Stepmoms in the White House

Stepmoms in the White House
What it Means for Women Like Us
By Wednesday Martin, PhD

The U.S.’s current First Lady, the wife of its President-elect and its incoming Vice President are all women who’ve partnered with men who brought along kids from previous relationships. And it’s about time!

Stepfamilies now outnumber what so-called experts used to and sometimes still call “intact” families, as if stepfamilies (statistically the new normal) are inherently broken or ruptured in comparison. We’re not. We’re just a bit or, in some cases, a lot more complicated. So what? Continue reading “Stepmoms in the White House”

The Stepmom Step-Back

stepmom step back By Lisa Bagshaw – StepMom Magazine Sept. 2011

A lot of successful stepmoms talk about the merits of stepping back. An equal number of stepmoms express confusion over what stepping back really means—and how to do it.

The premise is to step back from the dramas of living with kids that aren’t your own, an ex who might be problematic and all the other many things stepmoms can’t control like last-minute schedule changes, discipline differences and the past. Continue reading “The Stepmom Step-Back”

Being a Stepmom is The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done!

BY MARY T. KELLY, MA

This message is for those of you who have had it. You’re exhausted, you’re hurt, you’re angry and you are so close to calling your marriage quits and don’t know where else to turn. The first thing that comes out of your mouth is, “I had no idea it would be like this.” You’ve been working at it for what seems to be a ridiculously long time and you’re over it. Done. Stick me with a fork kind of stuff. Continue reading “Being a Stepmom is The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done!”

Disengaging Stepmoms: 5 Signs It’s Time to Step Back

disengaging stepmoms By Brenda Snyder, LCSW Originally published in the July 2013 issue of StepMom Magazine.

Many stepmothers begin the commitment phase of their relationships with an engagement ring. Women who love men with children hear the statistical improbability of successful remarriage and dismiss it, knowing in their hearts that theirs is the love that will beat the odds. They excitedly embrace their new family and put every effort into making their inner reality match what is actually happening in the home they are joining. Continue reading “Disengaging Stepmoms: 5 Signs It’s Time to Step Back”

Stepfamily Resources: Inside the July 2017 Issue

Stepfamily Resources

by Mary T. Kelly, MA

It’s so much harder than you expected it to be. Hell, if you’re gonna be really honest, it’s so tough you spend inordinate amounts of time wondering if it’s even worth it. What is this “it” that’s causing you—and others like you—to feel so much consternation? It’s the experience of being, or the thought of becoming, a stepmom.

“I’ve been living a sad tale for 16 years,” a reader recently shared on the StepMom Magazine Facebook page. “I wonder now if it was worth it.”

Continue reading “Stepfamily Resources: Inside the July 2017 Issue”

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